“Are you sure they’ll be alright?” Tyler asked with a frown as they left the courtyard.

“They’ll be fine. Aunt Paige promised she’d be nice.” Markus nodded confidently, though he too was worried. His aunt was a lot of things, but she usually kept her word. Most of the time, anyway. He winced as he remembered something important about his aunt. It all depended on what his Aunt Paige wanted.

‘She did promise that she wouldn’t make my position in the party awkward. That’s something at least?’

It was comforting, but it still left him troubled. She wasn’t the type of person to be forced into accepting the shorter end of any deal. But he had the feeling that his aunt was treading carefully.

His eyes swiveled to the young girl talking to Lily. Isabella. Everything revolved around the girl. He still hadn’t forgotten his family’s reaction to her name. They knew Isabella, somehow.

“Markus, c’mon! We have stuff we’ve got to get done!” Lily shouted at him from afar.

“I’m coming! Geez!”

Looking back at the direction he came, Markus knew his family had secrets, but why was Isabella so important?

And why was it important enough to draw them all out of their self-imposed hiding?

Watching as Nick led the kids away from the house, Paige turned and waited. It was clear they were unwelcome, but she was hoping Stella would be understanding. “Well, now that you are in my house… welcome,” Stella said hesitantly as she gestured into her house. “Just follow the smoke to the kitchen. I need to set up the wards again. Your friend can knock. And, well, you can get comfortable, just don’t make a mess of things.”

Paige shrugged nonchalantly and walked in, ushering Zenith along with her. Stella had every right to dictate how she protected her own home. And Nick would certainly know to knock on the door since not everyone was like her and Zenith, who could disarm mana traps with a fairly large success rate. He might have his own ways of bypassing, but experience told her that Rangers were not used to dealing with disabling magical traps. Nick was more likely to wait right outside and lay an ambush instead of alerting a potential foe. It was a heavily biased view of Rangers in general, of course, but she knew that there was some truth to it.

Still, with Stella resetting her wards, it gave Paige some time to look around at the…rather extravagant house they were in. Though the smell of burnt food lingered in the air, the faint smoke did nothing to obscure the craftsmanship of what she saw. Silk curtains, polished hardwood floors, handcrafted murals on the walls. She should have known that the rest of the house would be lavish after seeing the two rosewood chairs at the entrance, but after seeing the main living space of the house, Paige was already becoming numb to the flagrant display wealth. Money was just a number after a certain point, and Isabella’s family had most certainly reached that point.

Or almost reached that point, as she spotted a broken couch. It was clear that someone had broken the back support for part of the couch. But even broken, Paige knew that it must have cost a fortune. Still, she knew that she would fix it when she had a moment to spare. As a friendly gesture, at the very least.

Eyeing the hazy trail of smoke to the kitchen door, she paused as her eyes ran over a simple painting on the wall. On it, long, dark shadows stretched across the hills and valleys of the Lowcountry. In reality, it was probably a battlefield since those very hills would be perfect to repel the invaders. But it wasn't the location that drew her attention. No, it was a masterpiece of Dewel Clarkson, but more importantly, it was specially commissioned for General Williams’s wife. She should know since she commissioned it herself as a gift.

‘... how in the world did they get their hands on that? Williams would never willingly part with paintings from his prized collection, especially this one,’ she thought, a small frown forming on her face. It was troubling, but a cursory glance at the decor had similar results. At least six of the other paintings were of similar quality. Peering at the signature on the bottom, it was clear that it was the original painting. Assuming that creating fake, magical copies was not possible anymore, that is.

“Is there a problem?” Stella asked as she turned around.

Paige stopped peering at the painting and shrugged. Even if they hadn’t bought it, the paintings alone were a good indicator of her party’s capabilities, illegal or not. And for a party of Assassins, they sure had a keen eye for art.

“No problem. I really like your decorations, though.”

“They are quite pleasant to look at. I recognize some of these places though.” Zenith said helpfully by her side. It was clear that she didn’t know the value of the paintings, but it helped mute her own reactions.

Reactions that were still evident to Stella. Stella stepped forward next to her and scowled at the painting. “They were all legally acquired,” Stella claimed after a moment. “...I think,” she added after sensing Paige’s skepticism. “No one’s said anything thus far about it and we have plenty of guests.”

“You have a Cleric in your family and are favored by both the Queen and the Healer Hall. Who in their right mind would point out illegal activities?”

Stella stopped.

“Good point. Are any of them particularly noteworthy?”

“Some...are a little conspicuous.” Paige hedged her words slightly, “But your Assassin has good taste. I'll have to ask how she got her hands on some of them. They're... relatively well-known pieces, and most are quite expensive.”

“Our Bodyguard does have her vices. Still, are you going to help cook or just investigate my home for contraband?”

Eyeing the darkening smoke, Paige sighed as she waved the smoke away. Whatever was on the stove was well past the point of saving.

“Yeah, yeah. Zenith, could you?”

Zenith nodded as she started funneling the smoke for the trio. Stella had a good point. So far, she hadn’t acted as though she was really there to help. It was just that after seeing some of the paintings she had lost some of her drive to help. Just a little. But she had offered to help. Goodwill. Paige had to keep in Isabella’s, and by extension her family, good graces.

Paige walked forward through the smoke as Zenith cleared the last of it away with her magic. She already knew that she was going to be taking back some of these pictures.

After all, she wasn’t the only one who had to compromise.

“...Okay, just spit it out. Why did you come so early?”

Stella grumbled as she placed her dusty hands on her hips. Stella’s outburst caught Paige by surprise. She looked down at the noodles she was kneading and at her own clothes which were dusty with flour. It was pretty obvious what she was doing. She was simply doing what she had promised.

“I’m helping you cook? I mean, you know how many people are coming. So the easiest thing to make for a large crowd is pasta.”

“Besides that. I have my own ways to spot lies, and practically everything you’ve said so far is suspect. Why are you here? And of all the times you could’ve visited, why come right now?”

“Well, for starters I do want to help. Somewhat. But you’re right; I wanted to catch you alone. And not because I want to kill you, so you can stop powering up that formation under the sink.”

Paige eyed the sink and stepped behind the kitchen island. It was already suspicious that Stella had avoided standing right in front, but it was good to have confirmation.

Stella paused and shot a look over at Stella. “Tell your friend to stop forcing a mana conversion then.”

“Well, excuse me for trying to get comfortable,” Zenith murmured.

“Enough.” Paige shook her head. She knew now was the most ideal time. Any longer and the rest of her Party would be heading this way. “...I want information.”

“In exchange for…”

“My good mood. Look, I’m willing to be nice, but you have to reciprocate. Besides, you need our help more than we need yours. Especially since your Classes are even worse than ours.”

“...what’s wrong with being an Alchemist?”

“Nothing. But that’s not the problem. Your problem is not being able to access your actual Class.”

Stella stilled.

Paige continued on. “Sure, you might be able to do a few things from your time as an Shaman, but how much can you really do without attracting attention. That your Assassin had to go out and legally acquire stolen goods is probably pushing the boundaries of what your Party can do. If you are still a Party, that is. Let’s face it; your Status is as much of a hindrance as it is a help.”

Paige eyed Stella. Everything she said was true, but it wasn’t the main reason she needed to help. “You need our help. Just because of one fact that you aren’t aware of. Isabella’s true Class.”

“She’s a Princess. I already know that.”

Stella smirked at Paige’s dumbfounded gaze. “I’m not an idiot. I don’t know how you hid your Class, but you were not just a Warrior. Not even a Demon Lord could do a quarter of the things you did at the Mausoleum. So by that logic, Isabella must not have been an Apprentice Cleric if you were her guard.

"But it was your brother that helped me realize something was off with you. Peter Alduit. A Blessed Hero. So, why did everyone think that you were just a simple Warrior? And from what I know about Isabella’s birth, only a Princess could save her. And there would be some dire consequences for the people involved.”

“How did you-”

“I asked the Queen. Or rather, she told me offhand. She… cares for Isabella. A lot more than the situation demands. My daughter is happy and safe, so I’ve let things slide,” Stella responded to the quiet kitchen.

Her daughter. Paige sighed slowly. Stella really did care about Isabella, which made the situation far more delicate. Even if no one else in her Party cared about Isabella’s well being, it was already unlikely that Isabella would willingly separate from her mother.

Paige went back to making her pasta, thinking things through. The rhythmic sounds of chopping soon filled the room as everyone went back to their respective task.

“What do you plan for Isabella? Surely you want to go home,” Paige said quietly.

“... we haven’t decided what to do. For now, we just want Isabella to have a happy childhood. What about Markus?”

Paige nodded to herself. That was good enough for right now. She looked over at Zenith, who was watching her and quietly answered back.

“We want the same for Markus. We've all teaching him, actually. He’s been happy.

"And his training is going fairly well," Paige paused. "He's progressed a fair amount as a Swordsman. I could see him reaching his High Class by the time he's an adult.”

“A fair amount? Has he mastered any sword techniques yet?”

“No, but he’ll get to that point within a few years.”

“Then you’re not really teaching him. He is a prodigy.”

“Was a prodigy. I don’t know how you taught him, but while he is remarkable, he has a few fundamental flaws in the way he attacks. Too much forward intent and not enough mobility. And that is just when he is attacking. Defense, magic ability, long-range attacks; we've had to teach him from the ground up. And if we’re going to compare apprentices, has Isabella learned any of the basic healing spells?”

“A few. We care about her development and future,” Stella glanced over, suspicion written on her face. “Unlike someone, I know.”

Paige felt her face heat up slightly. That...wasn’t entirely true. Sure, she wasn’t training Markus like a Scion, but that was probably for the best anyways. In her opinion, the cruelty of the training to the end result was probably why most Scions ended up with such deviant behavior. Besides, there was more to life than just training.

“He’s doing just fine for his age. In fact, he’ll mop the floor of anyone his age; barring Scions, of course. But even then, he’ll give them a good fight.”

“Which part of ‘he is a prodigy’ did you not understand?”

Paige waved her dusty hand lazily. “Every part of it. I’m training him just like I was trained. He’ll fulfill his role yet.”

“Agh! Enough! Paige, why did we come here?” Zenith said as she slammed her hands down. “You better have something more important to talk about, Paige. We have far more things we need to do before we leave than have a fight over who is a better parent.“

“It’s not a fight.”

“Hardly a fight when I’m right.”

Paige and Stella stared hard at each other, conviction in both of their voices.

“Gah! Paige, I swear to god th-”

“I paved the way to getting us into the Academy. All of us. But we’ll have to work together,” Paige suddenly said to forestall Zenith's complaints. “But I need something from them, Zenith.”

Paige saw Zenith pause. She had already hinted that she had done something, but not the specifics. And Zenith was probably getting suspicious with how she was dancing around the topic.

“What do you need from us?” Stella said warily.

“Information. I want to know everything. War plans, troop formations, weaknesses. As well as what you have found out about our situation.”

“...And why would I give you that?”

“Because,” Paige said confidently, “in exchange, I can stop the Healer Hall from interfering in Isabella’s life. Permanently.”

“Paige, you know that is risky,” Zenith said as they conversed quietly.

Glancing over to the dining room table, it didn’t take a genius to tell that Stella was seriously contemplating Paige’s offer. And from what she gathered thus far, Isabella’s mom really cared about her.

It was a very different attitude than Paige’s with Markus. It was probably closer to her and Markus's relationship, really. Sure, Paige trained him hard and cared for him. But parental love? Zenith wasn’t sure about it. Or maybe training Markus was her way of showing her love. She had given him his old equipment back, after all. Even that creepy cloak. Or perhaps it was just thoughtfulness on Paige’s part. It was hard to say. And besides their short journey together to the mausoleum, she really had no idea how Paige’s relationship had been to Isabella. She still didn't really know, though she was going to press for answers sooner than later.

“In exchange for freedom? She’ll take it. Now, how useful that information will be is another question. Hopefully, she’ll give us information that can be readily verified, but I’ll take what I can get.”

Paige was talking quietly, though her voice had a slight edge to it.

“...is the war going that badly? I know you said the defensive line was lacking but is it to the point that you have to do this?”

“Rebecca needs more information. The formations I gave them will help slow down the advance, but if their defensive lines were broken once, they can be broken again. Especially if they do not have defensive formations in place. And if Alduit Academy comes under siege, there is no doubt in my mind that Isabella will be taken to the Imperial Healer Hall. She should know that too.”

‘That is true,’ Zenith thought to herself. “And how will we get into the Academy? You’ve been edging away from giving me a direct answer.”

Zenith narrowed her eyes as she looked at Paige, who was again ignoring eye contact. She already had a suspicion of what Paige was going to say and she didn’t like it.

“...think you can still teach?” Paige said with a wry smile.

Zenith's eyes twitched. ‘Of course, Paige would do something like that. And here I thought she was becoming more responsible!’

“Paige! You didn’t!” Zenith furiously whispered.

“Hey! I did what I could. Even the Healer Hall is unable to get Isabella’s family into the Academy, not with so many Imperial Scions watching over the place. The only reliable way is to have someone at the Academy sponsor us, and they assured me they could at least get you in the door as a teacher.”

Paige stopped and glanced over at her, smiling wickedly.

“And having you teach there is perfect! Plus, you already have the training and background to navigate the hallowed walls of academia without drawing suspicion. Supposedly, there is even a treasure hoard there. One worthy of a Scion. Just think of all the valuable spells and material that are waiting to be sto- appraised.”

She shouldn’t have been so flustered at that thought, but Zenith knew that Paige's idea was probably a reliable way to get in. Assuming she could become a teacher, that is. And she could continue teaching Lily as well, so there was a slight advantage with being a Teacher.

“Will that really work?” Stella asked from the side.

“It will. Zenith is a great teacher. But I do need information from your side to make this work. Everything falls apart if Trent invades though,” Paige said warningly. “We all need this to pull through.”

“... let me think about this for a second.”

Stella sighed as she walked out of the kitchen. The smirk on Paige’s face really irked Zenith though.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to get some information before the rest of her team shows up. I have a feeling that the others aren’t going to be as easy to persuade,” Paige said. Smiling to herself, Paige started back at kneading her dough.

Zenith sighed as she started back on her own preparations.

‘Her plan falls apart if I don’t get a teaching position,’ Zenith thought to herself. ‘Jeez, this is why Paige shouldn’t be the tactician for our Party. She always assumes that her plans will work out.’

All in all, it was basically what Zenith expected from Paige. A half baked plan that still had a chance of working out somehow.

Surprisingly though, Isabella's mother apparently thought it could work. “I can work with you, but we need more than what you are giving as well. I want information about what happened at the Mausoleum.”

“Easy. We have none; no specifics or reasons.”

“Then I have nothing I can give you. The Healer Hall is amicable to Isabella, and while your deal is helping us, we didn’t ask for it. We have our own ways of making things work,” Stella said with a shrug. “Besides, this is essentially your problem. Not ours.”

“...”

Paige mulled over that, while Zenith inwardly flinched. But Stella did have a point. There was little risk for them since Isabella was a part of their family, and Paige was doing all the heavy work for Isabella’s sake.

“We can swap what we know, but it isn’t much,” Zenith said lightly, signaling Paige to step back from the negotiations. This was her specialty, after all. “We have our past, but we also have the future ahead of us. And like it or not, we will have to cooperate. At least for Markus and Isabella’s sake.”

Stella frowned. “What does Markus have to d-”

“Paige is tutoring Markus. I have no doubt what Paige said earlier was true. Markus will reach the level of an Imperial Scion at some point, and so too will Lily and Tyler. But what about Isabella?

"She will need a Party that can back her up. And if her actual Class is revealed, she will need a solid backer to prevent her from being captured. An unsecured Princess is no joking matter, especially for the Imperial Family. We can provide both. A little information now for future cooperation is in both of our interests.”

Stella smiled gently at her, though Zenith twitched as she felt her mana dropping subtly. It came and went suddenly, leaving her a bit confused. Stella had tried something, but the specifics were alluding her. Still, Paige wasn’t bothered and she was standing right beside her, so it wasn’t a combat spell.

No, Stella wasn’t just a Shaman, just like she wasn’t a Wind Mage anymore. So if it wasn’t a Combat Skill, then it had to be a Support Skill of some type.

‘...I don’t feel different, so chances are it isn’t some type of perception based skill? She's an Alchemist, and probably also a shopkeeper, so maybe it's simply a Skill that helps in negotiations then? Gotta keep the terms short and concise, then.'

“We all want what is best for the kids. And we believe it is a fair trade; tit for tat. Think of Paige helping Isabella as our way of saying sorry for the past. Formally.”

Closing her mouth before Stella could try her Skill again, she waited and focused on Stella’s facial expressions. She would have thought that Stella would be able to school her expressions to be neutral, but she was oddly easy to read. Her face changed from hesitation to reluctance, reluctance to...acceptance?

But behind the mask of emotions, Zenith could feel one thing clearly. Stella really loved Isabella like her own daughter.

“I can give you some information, but temper your expectations. I don’t know much about the war situation, being a human, under constant surveillance and all. And even less about what we know from the ancient formation, but if it will help Isabella… fine. Tit for tat.”

“Though, what’s the big deal about being a Princess? Why would the Imperial Family care about that so much?”

Zenith winced and went back to her dough. She had done her part, now it was Paige’s turn.

“Hah! And you got mad at Shavie for helping the queen. Look at you, Stella; you willingly gave them everything they asked for. And for what? A promise? Even Shavie knew better than to reveal anything important.”

Stella was already irked about how the dinner went, but that was to be expected. What she hadn’t expected from her family was the negative pushback she was getting, especially from her twin sister.

“It was a solid trade, Luna. Besides, most of the information she already knew. Her book already detailed most of the troops that each of the major Houses has. I just helped fill in the gaps.”

Stella shuddered as she thought back to her conversation with Paige. The woman was oddly adept at filling in blanks, jumping from one conclusion to the next with frightening speed once she had explained the relationships between the parties involved.

“And judging by how the war is going, the country does need some help prolonging the war,” Stella said quietly.

“We all knew the war was going to start poorly for Alcudia. That much was apparent from just the repair work they were able to do. But why did you help them? And what happened to my spot?”

Shavie disagreed loudly. Leaning back in her spot, she grunted as the couch creaked and groaned. Stella eyed the couch. Whatever Paige had done, it was weathering the abuse steadily. Not enough to discourage Shavie from breaking it again, but it was putting up a valiant fight. Stella sighed loudly as Shavie broke the couch once again.

“Look, Isabella will need to be free from the Healer Hall if we are to return to Trent. If they can do it, then that solves one of our many future problems. A problem we do not have to lift a finger to deal with.”

She turned to the last person in her Party, waiting for his comments. Bishner frowned as he read through Stella’s transcript and notes of the meeting.

“They are oddly worried about Isabella being labeled a Princess. But nothing in the notes say why.”

“They alluded the Imperial Family would be heavily invested in capturing a Princess. Something about prioritizing capturing a Princess over killing a Demon Lord.”

Stella lied outright. She could feel Luna's gaze flickering to her, but she didn't have the heart to state the truth. Finding out what happened to Human Princesses here confirmed what she already knew. They had to go back to Trent before things got out of hand. But they were confident they could keep Isabella safe, and overall that information wasn’t important now, not with everything else going on.

“Look, we need more time. We can’t go back to Trent like this, not as we are now. And we’ll be with Markus, so-.”

“You think they’ll let us influence him? I’m half-convinced that Paige is going to kill us. If not her, then her Party. Hell, and she has the gall to call herself a Farmer.”

“That's the problem. She’s is, from what I can tell. But she still held herself like a Warrior. And there is our problem… they all full access to their Battle Classes,” Stella confessed.

“Shit! And all we got was stupid Support Classes?!”

Shavie swore as she realized just how bad their situation was. Sure, they could all fight to some degree and now most of them could use their Skills without the accursed fog from finding them; but fighting a Warrior strong enough to rival a Demon Lord alone? And with her full Party at that? No, they wouldn’t stand a chance as they were.

Shavie slumped back into her seat as Stella watched. It was indeed a problem. How much could they trust the other party, especially when Markus is still with them?

“Isabella is still with us, and thus far, Paige is willing to keep the peace. That says something about their bottom line. They haven’t even asked for her back, which tells me they know something about what happened to us. Something they didn’t share.”

They all quieted and turned to Luna. That was one of the main reasons she became a Librarian, and yet she hadn’t been able to get much.

“Did you tell them about the Library?”

Stella shook her head.

“No, they didn’t ask about us or our situation. They just assumed it was similar and left it at that. And they steered clear from anything related to Markus or Isabella. That works to our benefit. Once we get access to the entire vault, that is.

"But their way into the Alduit Academy can work. We can change our plans slightly, but we will be safer there and have a good chance of interacting with Markus. I say we go ahead and work with them, at least for now.”

“And they are okay with that?”

“They have to be. They need us just as much as we need them. For now, at least.”

Luna sighed as she tapped her fingers lightly on the coffee table. Stella knew she was weighing the costs.

“...we’ll keep the peace, for now. Since I can’t leave yet, I nominate Stella to be the Party Leader, until I can meet up with you. Bishner, since you have been investigating Trent, see if you can capture a few Scouts alive. Shavie, you go with Stella to the Academy. Infiltrate if possible and collect anything useful against the Devils. That will be our ticket back, assuming the Senate and your families are clean. Thoughts?”

“I can do that, Luna. But what about Markus? He needs to learn about his heritage,” Bishner said.

“Long term goals, Bishner. If you can get a clear picture of what is happening back home, then we might start working on gaining Markus’s trust. Until then, we keep the peace. Let them train Markus as they have been, and don’t give them an opportunity to sway Isabella over.”

Luna sat back and sighed. Stella sympathized with her twin sister. Starting from now, things were going to get a lot more complicated, for everyone involved.